ITV bosses say ITV Studios will ‘stand on its own’ after Sky deal reshapes UK TV production landscape

ITV Studios will be able to “stand on [its] own two feet” once it separates from ITV’s network and streaming businesses, ITV executives said July 6, responding to a major UK media deal that would move ownership of ITV’s television channels and streaming operations to Comcast-owned Sky.

The comments come after news that Sky has struck an agreement worth £1.6 billion (with a reference figure of £2.1 billion) to buy the ITV networks and streaming business, along with major UK reality and drama franchises. The arrangement includes rights associated with Love Island and the Line of Duty producer ITV Studios, according to the report.

In the account published by Deadline, ITV Studios’ future was described as changing for the first time in a “non-aligned” way, with the production company expected to operate separately from the networks that have historically provided it with an integrated home. ITV executives characterized the separation as a step that would not require additional large-scale corporate intervention, describing no need for a “transformational acquisition” to support the studio’s independence.

The new ownership framework also prompted statements aimed at reassuring viewers and audiences that the programming identity would remain consistent even as the corporate structure changes. Deadline reported that Sky Chief Dana Strong said ITV would remain “deeply British” as Hollywood tightens its grip on UK media, placing the deal in a wider context of foreign investment in domestic entertainment.

For ITV Studios, the separation raises practical questions about how distribution and development decisions will be managed when the studio is no longer structurally tied to ITV’s networks and streaming operations. The record indicates that the deal reshapes the first-to-market and packaging relationship between production and platforms, even as ITV executives argue that the studio’s existing slate and capabilities can carry it forward independently.

The agreement also indicates a shift in the UK commercial television production pipeline, with a large purchaser consolidating networks and streaming while the studio brand moves toward a standalone position. The report does not describe revised editorial control over specific shows, but it frames independence as a matter of corporate structure and financing rather than an abrupt creative break.

Next steps will depend on the regulatory and closing process for Sky’s planned acquisition, which is expected to determine the exact timeline for when ITV Studios’ independence takes effect. Until that process is complete, the parties’ stated position is that ITV Studios’ scale and business model can support operations without additional mergers, even as the surrounding network and streaming ecosystem changes ownership.